Todd Woodward
Professor, UBC Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience and Translational Psychiatry
Researcher, BC Mental Health and Substance Use Services Research Institute
Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Researcher, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
Member, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
Member, UBC Institute of Mental Health
Email: todd.woodward@ubc.ca
Short Biography
Dr. Woodward is a Professor within the Department of Psychiatry in the Faculty of Medicine, a Research Scientist with the BC Mental Health and Addictions Research Institute (BCMHARI), and Centre Investigator with the Brain Research Centre.
The objective of Dr. Woodward’s research program is to gain a functional and anatomical understanding of the functional brain networks that underlie the primary symptoms of psychosis and schizophrenia. Three lines of research are being pursued.
First, the cognitive correlates of the symptoms of psychosis are being explored by way of originally designed cognitive paradigms assessing specific aspects of memory and reasoning. Translation of these results back to people with schizophrenia in a group setting have led to a promising treatment program called metacognitive training (MCT).
Second, functional neuroimaging (fMRI, EEG, MEG) is being utilized to identify the neural underpinnings of these cognitive functions, and how their dysfunction manifests as the symptoms of psychosis, and how they are affected by MCT. Finally, software is being developed for multivariate analysis of functional neuroimaging data (fMRI-CPCA)
Research Focus
As director of the Cognitive Neuroscience of Schizophrenia (CNoS) Laboratory, Dr. Woodward’s research program is focused on two main areas of research: cognitive neuropsychiatry and functional neuroimaging. The objective of his cognitive neuropsychiatry research is to identify the cognitive operations underlying the primary symptoms of psychosis and schizophrenia. This is being explored by way of originally designed cognitive paradigms for memory confidence, source monitoring, reasoning, and semantic association. The objectives of Dr. Woodward’s functional neuroimaging research is to gain a functional and anatomical understanding of the cognitive systems involved in psychosis and schizophrenia, and to develop new multivariate methods for analyzing fMRI data, with applications to integrating information from fMRI, EEG and MEG. We provide two applications for download, free of charge. One is called metacognitive training (MCT), which is a group-based program that uses research-based examples to increase awareness of the cognitive biases that may underlie delusions, and training patients to counter these biases. The other is called fMRI-CPCA, which is a multivariate analysis method for imaging networks of brain activity.
Significant Accomplishments and Professional Contribution
- Outstanding Academic Performance (OAP) Award 2022, Faculty of Medicine, UBC (awarded 2023)
- Outstanding Academic Performance (OAP) Award 2021, Faculty of Medicine, UBC (awarded 2022)
- Outstanding Academic Performance (OAP) Award 2020, Faculty of Medicine, UBC (awarded 2021)
- Outstanding Academic Performance (OAP) Award 2018, Faculty of Medicine, UBC (awarded 2019)
- Outstanding Academic Performance (OAP) Award 2016, Faculty of Medicine, UBC (awarded 2017)
- National Recipient of CAMH Difference Makers: 150 Leading Canadians for Mental Health (2017)
- Excellence in Clinical or Applied Research, UBC Faculty of Medicine 2016
- Distinguished Achievement Awards of the Faculty of Medicine: Excellence in Clinical or Applied Research 2015 (awarded 2016)
- NARSAD: The Mental Health Research Association Independent Investigator Award (2016-2018; $100,000)
Publications
Digital Media
Fidel Vila-Rodriguez
Associate Professor, UBC Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience and Translational Psychiatry
Director, Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Therapies (NINET) Laboratory & Schizophrenia Program
Co-Head, Interventional Brain Medicine
Researcher, Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute
Affiliate Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Member, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
Member, UBC Institute of Mental Health
Email: fidel.vilarodriguez@ubc.ca
Short Biography
As a Clinician-Scientist, I have a strong interest in conducting translational research that bridges our understanding on the neurobiology of psychiatric disorders with the clinical applications of this knowledge. My clinical practice is actively focused in those most severely afflicted by such conditions, and my research interests are directed at finding novel therapeutic interventions within Non-Invasive Neurostimulation Therapies (NINETs) that can help mitigate the suffering of those with severe and refractory forms of psychosis and depression. I strongly believe that understanding NINETs’ mechanism(s) of action is a critical step towards translating research knowledge to clinical practice. More important, translating that knowledge to clinical practice will have a direct, immediate, and positive impact on the life’s of those who struggle and suffer the most devastating forms of mental illness and their families.
Research Focus
In the lab we actively investigate on all forms of NINET and we use a varied number of neurophysiological tools to research on biomarkers. The lab is also the only centre in Canada to host both simultaneous TMS-fMRI and tDCS-fMRI capability.
Publications
Significant Accomplishments & Professional Contribution
Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research Scholar
Digital Media
Daniel Vigo
Associate Professor, UBC Department of Psychiatry, Division of Neuroscience and Translational Psychiatry, and UBC School of Population and Public Health
Regional Lead Psychiatrist, Assertive Community Treatment, Province of BC
Scientist, Centre for Health Evaluation & Outcome Sciences
Lecturer, Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School
Adjunct Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University
Member, Institute of Mental Health
Member, Djavad Mowafaghian Centre for Brain Health
Email: daniel.vigo@ubc.ca
Short Biography
Dr. Vigo is a psychiatrist, licentiate in psychology, and public health specialist, originally from Argentina. In addition to being an Associate Professor at UBC, he serves as the BC’s Chief Scientific Advisor for Psychiatry, Toxic Drugs & Concurrent Disorders, Provincial Medical Lead of the BC Advanced Practice for Assertive Community Treatment, Medical Lead for Tertiary Care for the Regional Mental Health and Substance Use Program at Vancouver Coastal Health, as well as a psychiatrist in an assertive community treatment team. He has worked in multiple clinical, research, teaching, and leadership roles across the public and private sector, and has published peer-reviewed articles, book chapters, and reports on public health, health systems, global mental health, psychiatric epidemiology, psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and e-mental health. Dr. Vigo also leads several projects in BC and globally, including on E-Mental Health for University Students, Needs-Based Planning for Mental and Substance Use Disorder Services, and as Chair of the Services and Policy Workgroup of the WHO-World Mental Health Surveys Initiative, the largest global research group producing primary psychiatric epidemiology data.
More information can be found at Dr. Vigo’s Mental Health Systems and Services Laboratory webpage.
Research Focus
Dr. Vigo leads several projects at UBC, including the Needs-Based Planning for Mental and Substance Use Disorder Project, the Student E-Mental Health Project, and several psychiatric epidemiology studies of regional, national, and global scope. The goal of his e-Mental Health portfolio (which includes CIHR and Health Canada funded projects) is to create, administer and evaluate online e-interventions and screening tools, as well as to integrate them with existing brick and mortar services. He is also working in collaboration with the Computer Science department to develop algorithms to predict the risk of developing mental and substance use disorders due to COVID-19. By using machine learning techniques and applying those to health service utilization data, the ultimate goal is to facilitate access to effective treatments. To that end, he has also received funding from a UBC SIF grant to develop a Virtual Clinic at the Department of Psychiatry in collaboration with Dr. Lakshmi Yatham and Dr. Sophia Frangou.
Publications
Significant Accomplishment & Professional Contribution
- 2024 Appointed as BC’s Chief Scientific Advisor for Psychiatry, Toxic Drugs & Concurrent Disorders
- Scientific Advisor to Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO)/World Health Organization (WHO)
- Chair of the Services and Policy Workgroup, World Mental Health Surveys Initiative – World Health Organization and Harvard Medical School
- Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Mental Health Systems (IJMHS), 2021-Present
Digital Media
Tamara Vanderwal
Assistant Professor, UBC Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Child Psychiatrist, Telehealth Outreach Psychiatric Services (TOPs) Program, BC Children’s Hospital
Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute
Email: tamara.vanderwal@ubc.ca
Short Biography
Dr. Vanderwal received her M.D. from Yale School of Medicine, and completed residency, fellowship and research training at the Yale Child Study Center. Her research mentors were Robert T. Schultz, Linda C. Mayes and F. Xavier Castellanos (and team). She also has a Master’s degree from Yale Divinity School, with a concentration in ethics. Dr. Vanderwal’s work combining neuroscience and art has been featured at the Imagine Science Film Festival and at MoMA Studios. She is currently the managing guest editor for the special issue/saga on Naturalistic Imaging for NeuroImage. She also continues to practice as a child psychiatrist, seeing kids in northern BC.
Research Focus
The Naturalistic Neuroimaging Lab uses movies to study complex patterns of brain function in child psychiatric disorders. Using movies helps us study children who have a hard time staying still inside the MRI machine. The movies also enable us to study the brain as it processes complex, dynamic streams of information like it does in real life. This approach is similar to having a patient run on a treadmill while studying that person’s heart function. We design and test movies to evoke specific symptoms or types of cognitive processes, and are developing novel analyses to leverage the unique kind of data we acquire using movies in functional MRI.
Publications
Contributing Editor (2014-2017), The Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Significant Accomplishments & Professional Contribution
- American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Junior Investigator Award
- Resident Teaching Award, Department of Psychiatry, Yale School of Medicine
- Yale Psychiatry Research Scholar, Yale School of Medicine